Film: Rain

By Kummam Mohammed Al-Maadeed

There was a time when filmmaking, painting and making any form of art was considered just a hobby in the Gulf. It was frowned upon even to dream of being an artist.

Not anymore.

Across the Gulf region, individuals and organisations are participating and developing the culture and arts industries and now, what was once a hobby is becoming a sustainable career. And alongside the more classical art forms, we are seeing a rise in interest in more popular forms of culture.

Filmmakers, for instance, are relying on the horror and science-fiction genres, reintroducing previously explored topics, giving them a new edge and introducing them to Gulf audiences. In 2011, we saw the first zombie film from Bahrain, Isa Swain’s ‘Envy the Dead’, a short film about a post-apocalyptic zombie attack. In Qatar, horror is increasing noticeably with several films produced over the last couple of years. Last year, there were enough horror films to dedicate an entire evening to the genre in the Made in Qatar section at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival. Horror Night films included Mohammed Al Ibrahim and Ahmed Ibrahim Al Baker’s ‘Lockdown: Red Moon Escape’, a feature about a man trapped in a prison for supernatural creatures; Ali Al Anssari’s ‘I’, the story of an obsessed perfectionist plotting to kill his friend; and Noor Ahmed Yaqiub’s heartrending yet terrifying ‘Crazy Calm’, which looks at a cancer patient whose mind is haunted by her illness.

Film: Crazy Calm

Animation is a popular genre in the Gulf, with the contemporary generation of animators adopting new techniques – including 3D formats, which international audiences are familiar with from films like ‘Toy Story’, and ‘Cars’. This style was first used in the Gulf in 2006 for the first season of the TV series ‘Freej’. Films using this technology are also being made and more animators are using it – examples include Rahab El Ewaly’s ‘Rain’ (2012), the first Qatari animation.

‘Torkaizer’ by Alter-Ego

Another form gaining popularity with filmmakers, animators and the general public alike is anime, the seminal Japanese animation style. It has become so popular that original content is being drawn and produced by people right here in the Gulf region. The unlimited freedom and space that animation – and anime in particular – provides allows talented artists to release their imagination. Anime also opened the doors to manga fans across the globe. Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, the founder and CEO of Tashkeel Media Group, created ‘The 99’, a comic featuring a group of superheroes born of an Islamic archetype. The comic was widely acclaimed – ‘Forbes’ magazine named it one of the top 20 trends sweeping the globe. Feras Al Omireen from Saudi Arabia writes and produces ‘ENIOS’, a manga, in Arabic and English; meanwhile, in the UAE, the new company Alter-Ego is making an Arabic TV anime series entitled ‘Torkaizer’, which will be aired soon.

All of this has contributed to the success of the Middle East Film & Comic Con. In its first edition last year, it had almost 15,000 visitors and international guests, including Jason Mamoa of ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Stargate: Atlantis’ ‘Chronicle’ screenwriter Max Landis ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Indiana Jones’ superstar John Rhys-Davies as well as numerous comic and manga artists from the region and around the world.

On 5 and 6 April, 2013, MEFCC returns with the promise of being bigger and better. Visitors will enjoy collectable and rare items brought to them by international and regional exhibitors and have the opportunity to attend professional workshops at the Creative Campus. This year’s guest list includes Alan Tudyk, Sean Astin and Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, among other well-known industry players. MEFCC will also screen a great selection of short and feature films, including ‘Tokyo Toy Guy’ by Yuri Ueda, ‘The 99 Unbound’ by Dave Osborne and Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and ‘Black/White’ by Omar Butti. For more information, please click here.

The popularity of these conventions and festivals are proof of the new trends sweeping the region. With so many forms of the arts encouraged by different sectors of the Gulf’s community and initiatives, new ideas, new technology and new possibilities are paving the road to create a successful solid creative industry. This is a great time for artists in the Gulf, whether filmmakers, writers animators or painters, to develop their talents and fully realise their potential.